It’s generally accepted that family helps shape who we are. Our family life can affect our moral philosophy, political views, religion, and even our academic life. My family life has, for better or for worse, helped shape my academic habits. On one hand, my parents’ laid back attitude caused me to be a bit of a procrastinator for much of my time in school, but my strong desire to make them proud, as well as my desire to distance myself from my brother’s poor academic record, has constantly driven me to success.
I consider myself to be very lucky to have grown up where I did. I grew up in a relatively small town called Miller Place on Long Island, New York. My house is located in the south-side of town in a relatively safe suburban neighborhood, with other families which had kids my age. This is the first way that my family life affected my education. I lived in a safe neighborhood and went to a school district which, as much as I like to complain about its negative aspects, provided me with a non-threatening work environment. As “clique-y” as the student body was, I never felt that any of my fellow students were dangerous. I didn’t have to fear for my life as I walked down the halls. As much as I like to complain about how boring my town (my friends and I like to say, “the only thing to do in Miller Place is to leave it”) and it’s people are, I am still eternally grateful that my parents selected such a safe environment to raise my brother and me in.
My older brother affected my educational habits in a way that can be seen as somewhat ironic. In so many two (or more) child families, there’s often an overachieving older sibling, and a younger sibling who tries so hard to follow in their footsteps. My family’s scenario is somewhat reversed. My brother was never a good student. It’s not that he’s not an intelligent person. He’s actually extremely clever. He just never felt motivated in school. He thought of the whole thing as a boring game, I suppose. He seldom did homework, and was far more likely to be found playing computer games than studying. What he actually did bother to do for school was always done at the last minute- a trait which I would, unfortunately, pick up from him later in life, and only recently have been successful in combating. He would end up barely graduating from high school, and spent a semester enrolled at our county’s community college before dropping out and joining the US Army’s Military Police. As one would imagine, he didn’t give me much to compete with academically. Still, I tried just as hard as the younger sibling of an overachieving older brother, not to emulate him, but to make sure that I didn’t follow in his footsteps. While he was playing video games, I was doing homework or preparing for a test. I was always nervous when I had a teacher who had once dealt with my brother, and worked hard from the start to convince them that I wasn’t going to treat their class the way he did. Though my brother and I didn’t get along very well when we were younger, today, he’s an excellent friend who supports all of my academic endeavors.
However, even more so than my brother was, my parents played a major role in shaping me academically. Before I was even in preschool, they emphasized the importance of learning. They taught me my numbers and letters very early in my life. Thanks to them, I was able to read by the time I was three years old. They always praised me for the grades I brought home, and were always willing to help me with my homework when I was confused. However, as I grew older and my mom had to go back to work to support the family, my mother and father became a sort of study skills yin and yang. My mother remained very enthusiastic about my education, and would constantly check on me to make sure I had done my homework, etc. However, my father was a bit more laid back and generally left me to my own devices. Because my mother had to (and still does) spend so much time at work - especially after my father retired - this gave me ample time to goof off before my mom got home and got me to work. Combined with my boredom with the fact that I rarely felt challenged in school, this daily procrastination became a bit of a bad habit. Still, my strong desire to keep my A+ average and to make my parents proud kept me from falling behind, and I would always make sure to get in my assignments in time.
My family has done much to affect my academic habits, both positively and negatively. However, the challenging curriculum and sudden responsibility that comes with the independent lifestyle of a college student has caused me to quickly overcome my negative habits, leaving me with nothing but gratitude for the environment in which I was raised.
I consider myself to be very lucky to have grown up where I did. I grew up in a relatively small town called Miller Place on Long Island, New York. My house is located in the south-side of town in a relatively safe suburban neighborhood, with other families which had kids my age. This is the first way that my family life affected my education. I lived in a safe neighborhood and went to a school district which, as much as I like to complain about its negative aspects, provided me with a non-threatening work environment. As “clique-y” as the student body was, I never felt that any of my fellow students were dangerous. I didn’t have to fear for my life as I walked down the halls. As much as I like to complain about how boring my town (my friends and I like to say, “the only thing to do in Miller Place is to leave it”) and it’s people are, I am still eternally grateful that my parents selected such a safe environment to raise my brother and me in.
My older brother affected my educational habits in a way that can be seen as somewhat ironic. In so many two (or more) child families, there’s often an overachieving older sibling, and a younger sibling who tries so hard to follow in their footsteps. My family’s scenario is somewhat reversed. My brother was never a good student. It’s not that he’s not an intelligent person. He’s actually extremely clever. He just never felt motivated in school. He thought of the whole thing as a boring game, I suppose. He seldom did homework, and was far more likely to be found playing computer games than studying. What he actually did bother to do for school was always done at the last minute- a trait which I would, unfortunately, pick up from him later in life, and only recently have been successful in combating. He would end up barely graduating from high school, and spent a semester enrolled at our county’s community college before dropping out and joining the US Army’s Military Police. As one would imagine, he didn’t give me much to compete with academically. Still, I tried just as hard as the younger sibling of an overachieving older brother, not to emulate him, but to make sure that I didn’t follow in his footsteps. While he was playing video games, I was doing homework or preparing for a test. I was always nervous when I had a teacher who had once dealt with my brother, and worked hard from the start to convince them that I wasn’t going to treat their class the way he did. Though my brother and I didn’t get along very well when we were younger, today, he’s an excellent friend who supports all of my academic endeavors.
However, even more so than my brother was, my parents played a major role in shaping me academically. Before I was even in preschool, they emphasized the importance of learning. They taught me my numbers and letters very early in my life. Thanks to them, I was able to read by the time I was three years old. They always praised me for the grades I brought home, and were always willing to help me with my homework when I was confused. However, as I grew older and my mom had to go back to work to support the family, my mother and father became a sort of study skills yin and yang. My mother remained very enthusiastic about my education, and would constantly check on me to make sure I had done my homework, etc. However, my father was a bit more laid back and generally left me to my own devices. Because my mother had to (and still does) spend so much time at work - especially after my father retired - this gave me ample time to goof off before my mom got home and got me to work. Combined with my boredom with the fact that I rarely felt challenged in school, this daily procrastination became a bit of a bad habit. Still, my strong desire to keep my A+ average and to make my parents proud kept me from falling behind, and I would always make sure to get in my assignments in time.
My family has done much to affect my academic habits, both positively and negatively. However, the challenging curriculum and sudden responsibility that comes with the independent lifestyle of a college student has caused me to quickly overcome my negative habits, leaving me with nothing but gratitude for the environment in which I was raised.